Wednesday, 7 December 2016

It is with the greatest of pleasure that today we reveal the fabulous cover and awesome trailer of Lara Williamson's new book, Just Call Me Spaghetti-Hoop Boy (great title!!). This is Lara's third book, and if it is as good as A Boy Called Hope and The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair then it should be high up in your "must-read in 2017" list. Now over to Lara and her fabulous new book cover:

A BIG thank you to Middle Grade Strikes Back for hosting the cover reveal for my third book, JUST CALL ME SPAGHETTI-HOOP BOY. Here is some info about the book; the Cheeky inspiration behind it and a dynamic cover to be proud of.

Watch out world, Adam Butters has a story to tell. And it’s going to be ACE

JUST CALL ME SPAGHETTI-HOOP BOY is a story about Adam who was adopted as a child. And although it’s not a secret, when his teacher suggests making a family tree for a school project, he wants to find out more about his real mother. Problem: where do you get information about your realmother and how does that work when you’ve got an adoptive mother already? Well, for starters there’s a special hidden envelope that Adam discovers saying he was really called Ace.

KAPOW! That’s a superhero name, right? Being a superhero will make the world perfect, right? This is Adam’s DESTINY! He’ll save a life, help animals and old people and make everyone happy, especially his adoptive mum, who has a face like a melted welly at the moment. But things start to go horribly wrong when Adam overhears a conversation about someone new coming to live with his family; someone who is going to take Adam’s place for ever. Now is the time for Adam to step up, be ACE and unlock the secrets of his past so he can blast his way to a new future …

As a child I loved comics and I think they inspired JUST CALL ME SPAGHETTI-HOOP BOY. Like most kids my age I had my favourites and ordered them from the newsagent and as soon as they’d come in I’d rush to the newsagent and get the comic and devour it as soon as I got home and then I’d have to wait another week. Sometimes those seven days felt like for ever. I particularly loved a comiccalled Cheeky (published by IPC) and he was a big-toothed hero in a stripy jumper (once they gave away a free knitting pattern for the jumper. You’ve got to love that. Someone please knit me the jumper now and I’ll wear it). Eventually Cheeky merged into Whoopee, then Whizzer and Chips. I must add that my love of comics didn’t end as I got older and I eventually ended up working for magazines – howzat for a link? Plus, I’ve never forgotten how much I loved Cheeky and perhaps he inspired more parts of my books than I ever realized. (I’ve just remembered that Cheeky had an unnamed pet snail that occupied the back page of the comic called Snail of the Century. Um… Rightnow I’m wondering if that little snail secretly inspired Brian in The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair. Go snails <at a snail’s pace obvs>!)

I am beyond happy with the dynamic finished cover of Just Call Me Spaghetti-Hoop Boy. The incredible illustrations by Carlos Aon and Katharine Millichope’s fabulous design really bring Adam to life. This is how he sees himself, standing tall with his cape fluttering in the wind. Inside his head he’s probably shouting ‘KAZOO!’ which is his superhero motto! There’s a tiny twinkle in Adam’s eye and it’s important because he’s got a sense of mischief. If you look really carefully you’ll see a little spaghetti hoop on Adam’s chest and it’s that attention to detail that takes a cover to a whole new superhero level. Why is the spaghetti hoop so important? Well, that’s the thing – you’ve got to read the story to find out. In my opinion, a good cover throws up lots of delicious little secrets and invites you to discover the story between the pages – Carlos and Katharine have achieved this. From now on I’m going to declare them both cover design superheroes. Finally, it’s been amazing working with the illustrations to create this animated book trailer. Hope you love it as much as I do!

Watch out world, this is Adam’s journey to becoming a superhero, and you’re all invited along. Just Call Me Spaghetti-Hoop Boy by Lara Williamson is out in the UK on March 1st 2017. You can follow Lara on Twitter @LaraWilliamson or on Instagram @larawilliamsonauthor or check out larawilliamson.com.Hey! Stop right there! Where are you going? You haven't seen the trailer yet? Grab a mug of your favourite hot beverage and sit back and enjoy:

Wednesday, 30 November 2016

When Emmeline’s parents (zoologists who specialise in
unusual creatures) are kidnapped, she is put on a ship, bound for a safe-house
in Paris. On board, she meets a boy called Thing (a scruffy stowaway orphan);
and an unlikely friendship forms between them. But the criminals who kidnapped
Emmeline’s parents soon catch up with her and whisk her off to the frozen north
to be used as bargaining chip by the deranged Dr. Bauer who wants Emmeline’s
parents to awaken a mysterious creature, asleep beneath the ice.

Determined to save his friend, Thing seeks help from a
secret organisation called the The Order of the White Flower. Together, they
set off on Emmeline’s trail, but when they are attacked, Thing must continue
the journey alone.

What follows is a white-knuckled race towards a glacier in
Greenland, with the perspective constantly shifting between Emmeline and Thing.
Along the way, they meet many weird and wonderful characters, including magical
creatures, some friendly and some not. The plot is perfectly paced, building in
momentum with every turn of the page until the reader is hurtled into an
edge-of-the-seat climax.

The absence of modern paraphernalia gives O’ Hart’s
steampunk world a classic and timeless feel. The scope of her imagination and
inventiveness is breath-taking, as indeed is the writing. I loved the character
of Emmeline – a bookish, brave but nervous, particular (with a touch of OCD!)
girl; or in the words of Dr. Bauer – ‘a singular little creature.’ The more
rough-around-the-edges Thing is an ideal foil to her – he’s spontaneous, upbeat
and funny, with a dark backstory.

This book is pure middle-grade gold, pitched perfectly in
tone at its audience. It is sure to be lapped up by boys and girls alike. This
impressive debut is my first 5 star read of 2017. I hope it’s a huge hit. It
certainly deserves to be!

Friday, 11 November 2016

My favourite series of books are the Artemis Foul books by Eoin Colfer. There
are breath-taking bits and massive sighs of relief bits. It`s about a boy
called Artemis. He has found out about an armed and dangerous (not to mention
high-tech) race of fairies. He was their No. 1 enemy but now he and the fairies
are friends. He has agreed to help whenever help is needed. Allied by Captain
Holly Short (she is a fairy) Artemis Foul goes on dangerous journeys through
time and all around the world.

By Lucas W

My favourite book is Historopedia. It
was written by John Burke and illustrated by Fatti Burke. This is the second
book they made together. I liked it because it has a lot of facts and
activities. Some facts I never knew about!!! It tells stories from all around
Ireland dating back to 5000 years ago. I would rate this book ten out of
ten!!!!

By Luke H, aged nine.

My
favourite book ever is written by Roald Dahl. The book is called The Witches. It is illustrated by
Quentin Blake. I really like the picture of the witches taking their wigs off.
It’s really funny when the witches were turned into mice. After the witches are
turned into mice the cats eat them. Grandmamma and her grandson went back to
Norway. I like when the grandson puts the mouse-maker into the soup. It happens
when grandmamma and her grandson heard the witches ask for soup. Then the
grandson gets the idea of putting the mouse-maker into the soup.

By Martin W

My
favourite book is Are We There Yet.
It is by Enid Blyton. There are three children, a mother and a father. The
family live with their grandmother. The children disturb their grandmother so
much they move into a caravan in a field. One day the farmer came to the
caravan and said you have to move to a different field. They have a very strong
bull that has broken all of the fences. The family went to their auntie and
uncle’s house on a farm. The children learn how to milk cows and make butter.
They go to school and have a great time.

Harriet H

My
favourite book is called My Magical Pony -
Silver Mist. It was written by Jenny Oldfield. It was about this girl
called Krista and she has a very special pony called Shining Star. Krista and
Shining Star became best friends. There was this guy named Joe. Joe got a
helper to mind the ponies and horses. The helper’s name is Rob. This husband
and wife told Rob that they had to steal the ponies and horses. They said that
Rob had to do it with them. Then Rob did it.

Krista
and Shining Star saved the day as always. And that's why I thought that this
book was BRILLIANT

BY MAYA AGE 8

My
favourite book is called George’s Marvellous
Medicine. The author is called
Roald Dahl. If he was still alive he
would be a hundred years old, two month ago. His birthday is on September the
13th. I like this book because it is fun to read. The book is about a little
boy called George. George’s mammy goes to work and his granny minds him. His
mammy tells him to give his granny medicine.
George decides to make his own medicine
for granny.

BY ELLEN
age 8

My favourite book is Dairy of a
Wimpy Kid because it’s funny and I can’t sleep sometimes because it’s
that funny and if you want to know who
the author is, it’s Jeff Kinney. I like
him a lot because he’s funny and I love funny people because I am a funny person.

By Elizabeth

My favourite book is Harry Potter and The Prisoner Of Azkaban.
The author of this series is called J.K. Rowling. This author is full of
mystery and cleverness, and that’s why I love the series. My most preferred
creature in the books are the Dementors. They give you that eerie feeling!!!

Friday, 4 November 2016

As the fogs of autumn give way to the
occasional crisp morning of frost, it’s time to settle down to a bit of seasonal
mystery...

Robin Stevens, author of the bestselling, award-winningMurder Most Unladylike series, has
just launched another Murder Most Unladylike Mystery – the fabulously titled
MISTLETOE AND MURDER. It’s getting fantastic reviews and already topping the
charts (just shows the importance of Middle Grade, people) But Robin wasn’t
always a bestselling novelist, she was once an 11-year-old and that was the
person I wanted to find out about:

Here she is, aged 9, having a bunbreak.

The 11 year old Robin Stevens
was, by all reports, a bit of a bookworm – where and what would we have found
her reading?

Absolutely anything and everything! I
raided the library, second-hand bookshops (my father used to take me to
Hay-on-Wye every year, and standing in the specialist mystery shop Murder and
Mayhem was the highlight of my life), my friends' book collections and my
parents' shelves. Nothing was safe from me! I'm very
lucky that no one ever told me that books were too 'young' for me to read. I
happily read everything from picture books to adult books - I was definitely
already reading Sherlock Holmes by then, but also re-reading my Blytons. Some
of my favourite books at the time included Swallows and Amazons, Bunnicula,
The Secret of Platform 13, Guards! Guards! and (bizarrely) Dave
Barry Turns 50. As I say, nothing was safe from me ...

What a fabulously diverse reading list - I'm especially taken by Dave
Barry (had to look that one up) But what do you think you were looking for in a
book? Palpitations? Escape? Brain testing mystery?

I wanted books that taught me something and made me think (that's why
I've always been so interested in puzzles and mystery - and that's what the
Dave Barry was, a way of learning about history that also made me laugh) but
mostly I was looking for a book that I could dive into, that made me feel part
of its world and connected to its characters. I was an only child, and didn't
have many neighbours my age, so I found most of my friends in books!

As a matter of interest - do
you do crosswords or sudoku?

I had a phase of being a big cryptic
crossword fan. I used to be pretty good! That reminds me that I should probably
pick it up again. I found it really fascinating to learn, like a special coded
language. Sudoku I can do, but I'm not as interested, as it's numbers or
symbols, and my brain prefers word play!

So what came next? Did you hit
the great Hollywood gumshoes?

I discovered Agatha Christie aged
about 12 and fell in love with her plots. I loved Dorothy Sayers, too, and
Ngaio Marsh and (a bit later) Josephine Tey - funnily enough I was never a big
Raymond Chandler fan. His books are more thrillers than puzzles, and I think
that disappointed me a bit. In terms of books I've never really wanted crime
that's gory or dangerous, though I was an enormous CSI fan as a teenager!

You’re not alone with the CSI
thing - what other TV shows did/do you
like - Murder she wrote?

I watched Murder She Wrote and
Diagnosis Murder, but my Big Loves were (and are) the Jeremy Brett Sherlock
Holmes, Miss Marple with Geraldine McEwen and the Suchet Poirot. I love BBC's
Sherlock too. I had a Silent Witness phase, and Criminal Minds, but that just
got too scary. I'm a wuss! Then Veronica Mars, Supernatural, Jonathan Creek,
Alias, Heroes, Firefly ... I love good stories with great characters, however
they're presented. At this very moment my big obsessions are Westworld and
Humans. Robots just want to be loved, guys.

I'm thinking that you're now writing the
books that you couldn't find when you were 11? So what else is out there now
that wasn't out there then that you would have liked? If that makes sense?

There are so many amazing stories
that just hadn't been written yet - I would have loved Skulduggery Pleasant,
Mortal Engines, Hunger Games and (in terms of crime) The London Eye Mystery and
Katherine Woodfine's Clockwork Sparrow series. But I think that even since I
was 11 (which was 1999, not so long ago really), there's been a massive
expansion in what genres are available. I know I would have LOVED comics and
graphic novels, but at the time I felt like Marvel and DC were only for Proper
Fans and was too shy to pick them up. If anyone had given me Lumberjanes, or
the Kamala Khan Ms Marvel, or Raina Telgemeier's books, I'd have been in
heaven. And YA, too - I had Louise Rennison, but I wish I could have moved on
to stuff like Nicola Yoon, Harriet Reuter Hapgood, Jennifer Niven. I'd have
eaten them up.

And definitely the final
question - the library is burning down - which book does the 11 year old Robin
rescue?

Oh man! 11 year old Robin probably stands and cries in panic.
But if my library burned down today, the book I would save is one I got when I
was 15. Diana Wynne Jones came to speak at the Cheltenham Festival, and I went
to see her. I got my copy of Dark Lord of Derkholm signed, and it was about one
of the best things that has ever happened to me. I love her books beyond all
reason, and I loved seeing what a good person she clearly was at that event. If
I could grow up to be any author, it would be her!

Here are Robin and her dad enjoying Christmas when she was 11 (p.s. She made the Christmas crackers)

Thank you Robin Stevens. Mistletoe and Murder is out now from Puffin
books priced £6.99 and is available from all good
bookshops.

Thursday, 27 October 2016

We're big fans of Andy Briggs here and the first book in The Inventory series, Iron Fist, was a great read! We're looking forward to reading sequel Gravity. To celebrate, he's taking part in a great blog tour, and shared with us his favourite things about being a children's writer.

I am often asked what’s it like to be an author, and there are many wonderful things… but I would like to first say that I have had real jobs. I have stacked shelves in Iceland (sadly, the shop, not the astonishing country), I have delivered pizzas and even been a teacher (again, sadly not at the same time) – so I do know what real work feels like!We should get the obvious joys out of the way with first – the chance to work in your pyjamas. Let’s face it, we all have days when we wake up and want a duvet day, and aside from professional PJ tester, this is a job that allows you that luxury!Writing children’s books allows the author the chance to get close to their readers in ways other authors (and screenwriters) can’t, this is due to the many school events we have to do in order to promote our books. I remember my first school visits were quite scary as I didn’t know what to expect, but now I thoroughly enjoy doing them. It’s a good way to receive feedback from the young readers, but also to chat about what they like, what trends they’re starting to follow and (very importantly for an author) do a little research on what should be in the next book!For me, being a children’s author falls into two broad camps – the award winning intelligent, moral stories that allow the reader to reflect on their own life and weighty issues of growing up in the world. And those that are pure escapism, without winking at the reader and saying yes, this is your life really. I love both, but my books fall in the latter camp. Ever since I learnt to read, I read for escapism, for the chance to live outside my life rather than read instructions on how to live it, so as a consequence I think that reflects in my stories. There are few places left in the world in which a writer can get away with this. Screenplays (which I also write) often have to have some serious vein, and grown up literature generally follows this code – but only in writing for children can an author truly go wild.Like most authors I know, it’s a huge thrill to receive fan mail from a keen reader. I find it a particular thrill when it comes from a kid who has read my book, rather than an adult. The general opinion of children not caring about things and being “lazy” is completely untrue, and nothing symbolises that more than a message simply saying how much they enjoyed my books. I hope, in some small way, that I have passed on a sliver of inspiration in that child’s life – that is such an amazing feeling that only proud parents and teachers can get.

Gravity (The Inventory #2)

by Andy Briggs

Summary:

Eeek! Think that’s a monster? Nope: it’s a
person. What terrible weapon could do this…? Errr – well, that used to be
top-secret. Problem: it’s not quite so secret anymore. Dev messed up big time
the day he let the ruthless Shadow Helix gang into the Inventory. What is the
Inventory, we hear you ask? Well, it’s the secret lockup for all the deadly
battle tech the world is NOT ready for. Which is why letting it get nicked was
a REALLY BAD IDEA. Now the Shadow Helix have Newton’s Arrow: a terrifying
weapon that messes with gravity, causing … well, you get the picture from this
book’s cover. Dev and his mates HAVE to get it back – even if it means crossing
the entire globe. To stop this evil, no trip is too far!

Andy Briggs is a
screenwriter, producer and author of the Hero.com, Villain.net and Tarzan
series. Andy has worked on film development for Paramount and Warner Bros, as
well as working with Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee and producer Robert Evans.
With a strong social media following, Andy tours the UK regularly, doing
festival, school and library events.

Monday, 17 October 2016

We're loving the Shadow Magic blog tour, organised by the fabulous Faye Rogers, so it's great to be on it today with a fantastic Joshua Khan guest post on literacy!

Literacy is the most crucial skill in the world. That’s it. You cannot engage with the world around you if you cannot read, now more than ever, as we live in a world of pure information.

I’ve worked with the Beanstalk charity. It discovered at about 50% of the prison population is more or less illiterate. Of course, it seems obvious. People want to get on, they want to have the home comforts, the treats, the respect that earning a living gives. The pride. But if you can’t read or write, how will you acquire these things? It becomes hard and maybe other routes open up, less legitimate ones.

To paraphrase the Jesuits, also big on education, “Give me the boy at seven, and I will give you the reader.”

My greatest encounter as a writer was having a boy, big, fifteen or so, put my book down on the table for me to sign, and tell me he’d never finished a book before until now. He’d become a reader. It just takes the right book, and that can happen to even the most reluctant.

So, yes, it’s about seeing the world through the eyes of others, it’s about empathy, it’s about understanding, but in the end it’s about being part of today’s world. It’s about being able to engage, about begin able to understand what is truth and what is deceit. In the tidal wave of information coming at us all day, every day, it’s about being able to sift through the dross to the knowledge.

Reading is both a skill and a passion. It’s something hard, after all it’s weird squiggles on the page that are, supposed to, make understanding. If you forget how hard it must be for a kid to learn how to read and write just go pick up an Arabic or Chinese newspaper and see how far you get. Even with Google Translate.

Children’s books bear the burden, the responsibility and the honour of making readers. It may be a scene, a hero, even a line, that fires that kid’s passion to read on, to learn, to gain this most essential skill. Be it comic, be it chapter book, be it car manual, whatever it takes, we are duty-bound as children’s writers to put in our very best efforts to transform their lives, to give them the power, education in its simplest form, to go out and succeed in the modern world.

Summary:

Thorn, an outlaw's son, wasn't supposed to be a slave. He's been sold to
Tyburn, an executioner, and they're headed to Castle Gloom in Gehenna, the land
of undead, where Thorn will probably be fed to a vampire.

Lilith Shadow wasn't supposed to be ruler of Gehenna. But following the
murder of her family, young Lily became the last surviving member of House
Shadow, a long line of dark sorcerers. Her country is surrounded by enemies and
the only way she can save it is by embracing her heritage and practicing the
magic of the undead. But how can she when, as a girl, magic is forbidden to
her?

Just when it looks like Lily will have to leave her home forever, Thorn
arrives at Castle Gloom. A sudden death brings them together, inspires them to
break the rules, and leads them to soar to new heights in this fantasy with all
the sparkle and luster of a starry night sky.

Joshua Khan was born in Britain. From very early on he filled himself
with the stories of heroes, kings and queens until there was hardly any room
for anything else. He can tell you where King Arthur was born* but not what he
himself had for breakfast. So, with a head stuffed with tales of legendary
knights, wizards and great and terrible monsters it was inevitable Joshua would
want to create some of his own. Hence SHADOW MAGIC. Josh lives in London with
his family, but he’d rather live in a castle. It wouldn’t have to be very big,
just as long as it had battlements.

#CoverKidsBooks

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Welcome to Middle Grade Strikes Back

We are a group of UK based writers and bloggers who have one important thing in common - we are passionate about middle grade fiction.

We appreciate that 'middle grade' is a term that is more traditionally used on the other side of the Atlantic, but these days it is becoming more commonly used in the UK. More importantly, it sounds so much better than 'Books For 8-13 Year Olds Strikes Back'.